Excavating apparatus



Jan. 8, 1924. 1,479,806 0. L. HANSEN ET AL EXCAVATING APPARATUS Filed May 4. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Suva/Mow:

CHRISTIAN L HANSEN. E D WA RD 15. HER

.Jan. 8, 1924. 1,479,806

c. L. HANSEN ET AL EXCAVATING APPARATUS Filed May 4, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ave/Mow:

CHRISTMNL- Human. EDWARDH- PEER Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN L. HANSEN AND EDWARD H. PEER, OF CHARLES CITY, IOWA; SAID PEER ASSIGNOB TO SAID HANSEN.

EXCAVATING APPARATUS.

Application filed May 4, 1923,. Serial No. 636,549.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHRISTIAN L. HAN- SEN. and EDWARD H. PEER, citizens of the United States, residing in Charles City, in

Floyd County, in the State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Excavating Apparatus, and have described the same in the following specification, illustrated by the accompanying drawings. 4

Our .invention relates to excavators of that class which are commonly used in the digging of ditches, canals and the like, and in the building of embankments, 'and which individually comprise a drag biicket, or, a

scoop, scraper, shovel, or the like receptacle, which may be called. a bucket, and means, connected with a sourceof power, for operatively filling and emptying the bucket as well as for suspending the same while transferring itfrom, the place .of filling to the placeof'dumping. It is the main object of the invention to render an eXcav'atorof this class capable of holding and retaining, without material loss, spilling, leakage or diminution, a full loadof mud, sand, or other fluent material, whileso suspended after being filled and before dumping: to increase the available capacity of such abucket with out increasing its size or weight; and thereto increase its efficiency and reduce the weightof machinery necessary for its operation. To accompl sh these results we in corporate in our improved excavator, as parts thereof, a drag bucket which is nor mally closed at its rear end, a gate in the front end of the bucket and means for automatically opening and closing the gate as the due operation of the'bucketimay require.

In said drawings, illustrating the best manner in which we have contemplated applying the principlesof the invention, Fig.

1 is a side elevation of an excavatin apparatuswhich is constructed in accor ance with these principles. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same apparatus. Fig. 3 is a front end elevation of the same. ,Fi 4 is aside elevation of the same in its umping position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section orithe section line 55 in Fig. 1. Fi 6.is a section on the section line 6' 6 'in Fig." 5.""'Fig. 7 is" adetail, being a section on the section line 77 in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail in perspective from Figures 6 and 7.

In the illustrated specimen of the invention the bucket is denoted by the numeral 7. It has the parallel side walls 8, the arcuate bridge 9, spanning the side walls at the front end of the bucket, and the flat bottom 10, having the front cutting edge 11. It is open at the top and front and closed at the rear end. It is provided with the gate 12 for opening and closing the front end of the bucket, the bail 13 for hoisting and suspending the bucket, the bail 14 for hauling the bucket, and means connected with the bails for operating the gate. The latter is an oblong metallic plate approximately as long from end to end as the clear internal width of the bucket, approximately as wide from top to bottom as the depth of the bucket,.and curved like the segment of a hollow cylinder. 1 It is carried by the two duplicate and parallellever arms 15, which extendbackward from the top-of the gate and are secured to the side walls of the bucket by the alined pivot bolts, or trunnions, '16. Its cylindrical curvature is the same as that of the orbit, or path, in which it may swing about its pivotal axis. The suspending'bail 13 has at its upper end the bolt 17 for the attachment of the cable 18, by which the bucketv may be hoisted and carried or sustained. It carries in its upper part the grooved pulley 20, and is tied to the gate of the chain 21. It has in its lower ends, or branches, the alined pivot bolts 19 by which it is attached to the rear ends of the lever arms 15 and these bolts form for the bucket a, pivotal axis which located movably. behind its centre of gravity.

The hau'lingbail 14 has in its. forward or outer'end two bolts 22 and 24, one for the attachment of a rope 23 by which the bucket may be drawn forward on the ground in filling, and the other for the attachment of the holding rope, or'balance rope,.2 5, which runs over the pulley 20 and is attached to the top of the bridge 9 b the bolt 33. .ThiS bail and the lifting bai 13 are terminally connected with each other by the sliding link 26, which is joined to them by the pivot bolts 27 and 19 respectively; and this link is provided with the side plate 2h. bolted thereto and spaced therefrom by the recess 29. which is best seen in Fig. means for attaching the links 26 to the op posite sides of the bucket, the engagen'ient plates. or bars Flt), laterally contiguous to the side walls 52 respectively, are terminally pivoted thereto on the trunnion bolts 16 and pivotally adjusted thereoi'i by inserting the bolts 51 through the plates and selectively through the bolth0les 32 in the side walls. Each of these plates has a sliding engage meut with the laterally contiguous link 26 by means of the bolt 31, which passes through the plate as well as through the wall 8 and extends through the longitudinal slot 34 in the link into the recess 29, where it is retained by the nut 35 on the bolt. The locking T block 30, shown separately in Fig. 8. may be inserted in slot 34 and recess 2!), forward of the bolt 33, in the position shown in Figures 5 and (3, whenever it is desired to hold the bucket constantly open and the gate inactive and functionless.

in the act: of loading, this excavator, like others of the specified class, is operativel drawn forward on or into the soil, sand, mud, or other filling material, by tension exerted by the hauling rope 23 on the hauling bail. This tractional tension draws forward the sliding links 26 on the sides of the bucket, thereby turns the lever arms 15 on their pivots 16. and thus raises and continuously holds up and open the gate 12, as shown in dash lines in Fig. 1. This permits the bucket to load itself by moving forward, after the manner of drag buckets in general. After loading itself in this manner, the bucket is hoisted from the ground by the upward pull which the hoisting cable exerts for that purpose on the hoisting bail. The resultingmovement of this bail, relatively to the bucket. at the same time turns the lever arms 15 of the gate 152 on their pivots 16 to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and thereby forcibly lowers and closes the gate. Throughout the hoisting of the bucket and until the time of its dumping, it is held in an approximately horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1, either by the hauling bail tensioned from the hauling rope 23, or by the holding rope 25, tensioned from the tensioned hauling bail, or by both of these instruInenta-lities conjointly. In this position, and with the gate closed, the suspended bucket may be transferred to the place of dumping by an appropriate movement of the suspending cable 18, as is usual with other dra buckets. The hauling rope is then relaxer by an attendant and thereupon the holding rope :25 is also relased, the bucket is tilted forward by gravity to the discharging position shown in l, the gate 12 is automatically pulled upward and open by the chain 21, as shown in the same tigure, and the load is dropped. Then the bucket may be swung back to its work and lowered for another load: and so on repetitiously.

ll'e claim as our invcntion l. .\n excavator comprising a drag bucket, a l'ront drop'gate therefor having lever arms pivotally connected with the sides of the bucket, and a hoisting bail and a hauling bail which are pivotally connected with the lever arms.

2. An excavator con'iprising a drag bucket, a front gate therefor having lever arms pivoted to the sides of the bucket, a hoisting bail and a hauling bail which are pivotally comiected with the lever arms, and a flexible connection between the hoisting bail and the gate.

An excavator cmnprising a drag bucket, 21 front drop-gate therefor having lever arms pivoted on the sides of the bucket, a hoisting bail pivotally connected with the lever arms, sliding links attached to the opposite sides of the bucket and pivotally connected with the lever arms and the hoisting bail, and a hauling bail pivoted to the sliding links.

4,. An excavator comprising a drag bucket, a front drop gate therefor having lever arms pivoted to the sides of the bucket, a hoisting bail pivoted to the lever arms, a flexible connection between the hoisting bail and the gate, a pair of sliding links connected with the lever arms and the hoisting bail at the sides of the bucket, engagen'ientx plates on opposite sides of the bucket, sliding connections between the engagement plates and the sliding links, and a hauling bail which is pivoted to the sliding links.

5. An. excavator comprising a drag bucket. a front drop-gate therefor having lever arms pivoted to the sides of the bucket, a hoisting bail pivoted to the lever arms, a flexible connection between the hoisting bail and the gate, two adjustable engagement, plates atfixed to the sides of the bucket, respectively, a pair of links slidably attached to the engagement plates respectively and connected with the conjoined lever arms and hoisting bail, a hauling bail which is pivoted to the sliding links, and a holding rope connecting the bails with the forward end of the bucket,

6. An excavator comprising a drag bucket, a hauling bail therefor, a gate having lever arms pivoted to the sides of the bucket, 21 hoisting hail pivotally connected with the lever arms, engagement plates adjustably afiixed to opposite sides of the bucket, and links connecting the bails and having slid ing engagements with the engagement plates respectively.

7, Apparatus of the specified class, comprising a receptacle, a gate therefor having end arms pivoted to the sides of the receptacle respectively, engagement plates attached to the sides of the receptacle, a hoisting member pivoted to the arms links pivotally connected with the hoisting memried by the hoisting member, and a holding rope running on the pulley and connecting the front end of the receptacle with the 10 her and having sliding engagements with hauling member.

the plates respectively a hauling member pivoted to the links, a chain connecting the CHRISTIAN L. HANSEN. hoisting member with the gate, a pulley cair- EDWARD H. PEER. 

